Political Parties Funding — Reform rejected — 4 Dec 2007 at 18:48

notes with concern the corrosion of public trust in democracy following the recent succession of scandals over the funding of the governing political party;

regrets that a comprehensive package of proposals to reform electoral law was not achieved by the inter-party talks owing to the refusal of the Secretary of State for Justice and the Labour representative, Mr Peter Watt, to accept a comprehensive cap on donations;

observes the unhealthy increase in back-door state funding through the £6 million of funds allocated to special advisers and the funding of over 3,000 press and communications officers across Whitehall and its quangos;

asserts that the Communications Allowance[2][3] is an unhealthy extension of taxpayer funding for party propaganda that advantages the governing party; and

calls for a comprehensive package of reforms to restore public trust and to support a vibrant local democracy and voluntary activism, which must include an across-the-board cap and annually a genuine individual choice for union members on whether they wish to donate to their favoured political party.

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